The Conqueror Worm
by ooo Ripple Healer ooo
Summary: A girl with nothing but optimism and a dream. A boy with no past, no future. The Hoenn region won't be big enough to contain them. Possibly a tad higher on the scale than T, for violence issues only.
1. Chapter 1

_**And the corpse rises from the depths of the abyss...**_

**Hey guys, guess who! XD**

**So, yes, here's my new story! Unlike Mayhem at the Marina (my first fanfic, I do not recommend it to anyone), this takes place in the video game sub-world of Pokémon, about three years after the events that took place in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. So, like how Black/White 2 took place two years after the originals, but with the Hoenn Region.**

**_And so, the curtains rise as the rosy glow of a rising sun illuminates a new_**_ **journey...**_**  
**

* * *

_The boy crashed to the ground, his clothes - and the skin underneath - torn to shreds. His ebony hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and blood. His hands were bloodied as well, but not with his own blood._

_ The blood belonged to his best friend._

_ His best friend stood over him, crimson dripping down from his jaw. His side was bleeding, matting his soft fur._

_ The boy didn't mean to hurt him. His friend attacked him, but he had no intention of fighting back. It was as if someone else had control of his body for those moments, those agonizing moments, and all he could do was watch in paralyzing horror._

_ His knife, that damn pocketknife, rolled out of his flaccid hand and out of reach. He had absolutely no way to protect himself. Not that he intended to. He inhaled, trying his best not to focus on the sharp scent of blood, but instead the clear, refreshing scent of the pounding storm, the earthy, comforting smell of his childhood friend, the only friend he'd ever known._

_ He looked up, stared hard at his friend. He smiled._

_ The world went black._

* * *

Camila Fletcher stood in her new room, pale green eyes glaring defiantly.

"Come _on,_ Mom! You _said_ that I could start my journey as soon as we moved in! You _specifically promised _it! See, I even got it in writing!" She waved a crumpled piece of notebook paper in front of her mother's face.

Laura Fletcher sighed heavily and sat down on her daughter's unmade bed. "I know I did, honey, but…"

Camila folded her arms across her chest. "Don't you _dare_ play the 'you're not ready' card on me again. Jeremy's parents let him go on his journey when he was only twelve!"

"You've only just turned thirteen, honey."

"That's not the _point_. The point is that Jeremy's having a good old time prancing around Unova while Flash and I had to stay home in Mistralton! And _then _you say that we have to move to _Hoenn!_ An _entirely_ new region!"

Her mother massaged her temples. "I know this all has been hard for you, sweetheart, but-"

Camila held up a hand. "No buts. I have waited way too long for this. Flash and I have been ready for _years_ now. We're setting out tomorrow."

Laura blinked, surprised by her daughter's comically serious expression. She suddenly dissolved into a fit of small laughs.

"So much like your father," she whispered, wiping a small tear from her eye.

Mila furrowed her eyebrows, no clue how to react. She had planned for a firm, motherly put-down, not this.

Laura took a breath and stood up. "You know what, fine. You can start tomorrow morning."

Camila's jaw dropped open. "Y-you mean it?"

She tackled her mother with a hug before she had a chance to reply. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!

Mila darted out of her room. "I'm gonna go check out the town!"

"Mila-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" With that, she slammed the door, leaving her bewildered mother behind.

Laura massaged her temples, wishing her painkillers weren't still buried in a cardboard box somewhere. "And she wonders why I don't believe her."

Mila threw out her one and only pokéball. "Come on out, Flash!"

Sparks flew as a small Litwick appeared. It hopped up and down in excitement, a small blue flame flickering brightly.

Camila quickly pinched it out. "Hey! No, Flash, be good!" Mila had learned at a young age that it was best to keep a Litwick's flame out. The _last _thing she needed on her first day in a new town was having a neighbor collapse because her Pokémon drained their life source.

Her first impression of Oldale Town was that it was _small._ She had always thought that Mistralton was pretty quiet, especially compared to some other towns in Unova, but this was almost ridiculous.

Mila sighed a bit. " This place is kinda boring. I know Mom said to be open-minded, but... well, at least we won't be staying here for long, right, Flash?"

Camila spun around to find that her Litwick had started running northward, out of the town.

"Flash! Wai- ohh, not again…" Camila scrambled after her impish pokémon.

She smacked right into someone.

"Ah! Oh, I'm sorry, I was running after my pokémon, I wasn't looking where I was going! Are you all right?"

The girl she ran into slowly got up from the ground. Dressed in a dark purple hooded tunic and black jeans, she didn't seem to fit the mold of Oldale Town. Tucking a lock of violet hair into her hood and staring at Mila with intense blue eyes, she replied, "I'm fine. You, you seem-"

"Great to hear it, see you around!" Camila dashed off in search of Flash, cutting the girl off. Her dark blue eyes followed her as she went.

"Well," she whispered. "Looks like it's coming sooner than we thought."

An eerie smile found its way to the girl's lips.

* * *

_He slowly opened his eyes, body aching all over. He stared down at his hands, hardly recognizing them as his own. The skin was cracked and splitting all over, and his wounds were caked with dirt and blood._

_ His face was tight. Itchy._

_ Reaching up to scratch off whatever dried on his face, his trembling fingers found their way to his right eye. _

_ His right eye socket, rather._

_ He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. All he could do was sit there, holding his head in his hands, petrified as fresh tears and blood trickled down his face._

_ Shaking, he tried to stand up, only to buckle and fall to the ground immediately. Using a nearby tree, he tried to pull himself up onto his knees, wincing as the marred skin touched the pebbles and dirt on the ground. _

_ Laughter like the tinkling of bells echoed through the trees, growing louder until a small, white figure burst out of the bushes. He cringed as it ran towards him, only to have it bounce onto his lap and smile at him._

_ He tried to smile, but his face ached and his lips cracked. "Well, you're a cute little thing, aren't you?" he rasped, relieved that his voice had returned. _

_ Momentarily forgetting his condition, he tried to pick the little thing up. Seeing the bloodied hole where his eye should have been, it shrieked and ran behind the tree. _

_ Sighing as he put a hand over his eye once more, he tried to turn around so he could see it. It cautiously peered around the trunk, a little blue fire burning on top of its head._

_ "There, there, little guy, I'm not gonna hurt you…" He reached a shaking hand out towards it. _

_ "Flash! Fla-ash, where'd you go! Come on out, I'm not playing!" A cheerful, feminine voice floated through the woodland. The boy absentmindedly wondered if the girl was calling him._

_ Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn't know who he was. He didn't know his name, how he got there, anything. _

_ He frantically groped around his mind for something, anything. Just then did he realize how truly hopeless his situation was._

_ As the small white thing scurried off, tittering happily, the boy buried his head in his hands and curled up into a ball. His wounds would become infected and swell. He wouldn't be able to find any food or water. He would die. That is, if the strange beasts that lived near didn't finish him off. He glanced warily at a small, white and blue creature with a large beak and wings that settled down near him._

_ He sat up angrily, startling the creature into flight. He wasn't just going to sit there and let death take him without a fight. Hell freaking no. So what if he couldn't remember anything. So what if his body felt like it had been through a trash compactor. So what if he only had one eye. He could fight. He _would_ fight._

_ His fingers slipped into the pocket of his cargo pants and closed around a small orb, as he had done many times before. He wasn't sure how he knew this, or what the ball even was, but that didn't matter._

_ He would fight back._

_ And he would _win.

* * *

**And there you have it, folks! Yes, yes, I know it's short, and maybe a tad corny, but this is all just exposition to get the snowball rolling! **

**I hope it's not too graphic to be rated T? I wasn't sure, but... sorry if you were offended or something, I guess. I'll say it now, it might get a tad bit dark at times, but I'll try to offset it all with Mila's cheerfulness. (I have a feeling she might get annoying pretty quick.)^u^**

**So, tell me what you think! If you thought it was horrible, tell me WHY so I can make it not-horrible! If you liked it, great! Not very helpful, but great! (Hahaha, just kidding, awesome if you actually like it!)**


	2. Chapter 2

** Hel-loooo, everybody! Welcome to the second chapter! Enjoy your stay!**

** On related news, I've been working on getting a cover image for this story, but I have no clue how long to expect. All I know is that it's coming. So, until then, you will all have to deal with whatever I currently have as my avatar. Sorry 'bout that.**

* * *

"_Moooo-oooom!"_ Laura's serene, sleepy state was shattered by the stomping feet of her daughter as she rocketed down the stairs. "I can't find my bag!"

Camila scrambled into the kitchen, her long hair still a tangled mess. "The moving pokémon had already unpacked almost everything, but it wasn't in there! I can't-"

"Have some tea, dear." Her mother sighed. "Your waffles are almost done."

Camila took a deep breath. "Mom," she said, controlling her voice carefully, "did you hear what I just said? At all? I. Can't Find. My. Bag! I can't go on a journey without my-"

Once again was she interrupted, this time by the toaster. "I'll get those." Laura fed the last of her toast to the Vigroth hanging up a family portrait and stood up.

"_Mom!"_

Laura sighed again. "Honey, I set it in there on the sofa. No one hid your bag."

Camila dashed into the living room as her mother continued, "I packed two changes of clothing, your toothbrush, a Potion, just in case… oh, and I've already bought your Trainer Card. It's in the side pocket."

Camila pulled out a small plastic card, no larger than a credit card, printed with her full name, trainer ID, and picture, along with multiple other statistics that Camila didn't understand.

"It comes with 3000 pokédollars, which should be enough for a while, or at least until you start battling." Laura, who had come behind her, pointed to the corner of her card. "And down here, it tells you how many Gym Badges you've won. You'll get the physical Badge, too, but this simply makes sure you earned them, instead of buying or stealing them."

Mila hardly heard her. "Mom… I…" _Chill out, Mila, this is so not the time to get all emotional. Keep it together, don't be stupid._ She swallowed. "Th-thanks, Mom."

She caught something out of the corner of her eye. "Wait, what's…" Camila reached into the bag and pulled out a ratty old plush. "Really, Mom? My old Audino toy?"

Laura smiled happily. "Oh, come on. Don't you want your old pal Dede to share your adventure with you?"

"No, Mom, I don't."

"Oh, but you used to love this thing! You were so sweet, dragging it wherever you went…"

"Mom, that was, like, nine years ago."

"Well, just think ab-" She stopped mid-sentence. "Shoot, the waffles! Just a moment, sweetheart."

Laura dashed off. Camila stared at the beat-up plush. Stuffing was falling out where an arm had torn off, and an ear had been singed from a "training session" with Flash. Sighing, she shoved it back in the bag and zipped it up. "Stupid plush."

Camila breathed in the fresh air. "You ready, Flash?" she grinned, slinging her bag over her shoulder. The little pokémon chirped, dancing in excitement.

She turned to face her mother, who was standing in the doorway, wringing her hands. "And you know that if you ever have a problem, you can go to either the Pokémon Center or the local police station, right?"

Camila shifted from one foot to another, antsy. "Yes, Mom, I'll be fine."

Laura pursed her lips. "Well…" She reached into the pocket of her apron. "I was going to save this for your birthday, but here." She placed a small object into the palm of her daughter's hand.

Camila's eyes widened. "No way! A version 3.8? You said they were too expensive!"

Laura smiled grimly. "They were."

Camila pressed the center button of her new Pokénav, watching in awe as it unfolded. Tapping at the touchscreen, she asked, "It has the Match Call app, right?"

Her mother nodded. "My old Pokénav's number is already registered, so you can call me any time.

Camila reluctantly folded the device up and shoved it into her jacket pocket. "Th-thanks, Mom. For everything." She grinned, swallowing the lump in her throat. "And stop worrying so much, I'll be fine!" She bent down to scoop her little pokémon up, much to its annoyance. "We're gonna get all eight Badges, just watch!"

Giving her mother an abrupt kiss on the cheek, Camila dashed off towards Route 103, slipping on some wet grass before regaining her balance.

Laura sighed, wringing her hands as she watched her only daughter leave. "And she tells me not to worry."

* * *

"Okay, Flash, use Ember one more time!" Camila panted, watching as Flash shot a small burst of flames toward the opposing Tailow. The tiny bird pokémon flew off into the tree line, squawking as it went.

"Haha, that'll teach 'em!" Camila grinned at Flash, who chirped and danced around in response, its little blue flame flickering brightly.

She giggled, bending over to pinch it out. Flash, thinking they were playing a game, hopped away, sticking a little tongue out. Before Camila could respond, he was already scurrying off, winding around ledges and trees.

"Flash!" Camila groaned, scrabbling after the little Candle pokémon. "This seriously isn't funny, you know!" A tinkling little laughter floated through the woods, followed by another, decidedly masculine chuckle. Camila blinked, then sped after her pokémon.

* * *

The boy stared at the little pokémon in front of him as it hopped around, chirruping joyfully. "Heh, you again, huh?" His own pokémon, Gloom - both words "Gloom" and "pokémon" had emerged from the depths of his mind as soon as he had opened the sphere in his pocket, the "pokéball" - was approaching it cautiously, warily eying the indigo flame flickering brightly at the top of this strange pokémon's head.

His fingers rose to the bandages encircling his head, covering his eye socket. "Guess it's time for a change," he muttered to himself. He nodded at Gloom, who began puffing out a mixture of spores. Antibacterial spores, which he somehow knew. The spores floated down, collecting themselves on the leaves sprouting from Gloom's head.

Using two fingers, he gathered some of it, along with a bit of the nectar dripping from his pokémon's mouth. Yes, it smelled decidedly foul, but it did wonders in soothing the intense burning from the antibacterial spore mixture. He smeared the concoction on a fresh bandage from his pack.

He began unwrapping his old bandage and hesitated, remembering how the little white pokémon had reacted to his socket. He turned to face the other way.

After the bandages had been taken off, he took a bit more of the antibacterial mixture and gently spread it on the inside of his socket, cringing as his fingers touched the still-sensitive tissue.

"Flash, I swear-"

The boy glanced up, startled. Running into the clearing was a girl, her long, strawberry-blonde hair tied off to the side in a loose braid. Her large, pale green eyes were staring at him in total shock. She covered her mouth.

He realized that his fingers were still in his exposed eye socket. "Um, sorry," he muttered, hastily turning away to wrap the fresh bandage around his head.

"Oh my _gosh,_ how did this happen to you?" she gasped, kneeling down next to him. She tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off, tying the bandage off at the end.

The small white pokémon, done amusing itself with Gloom, hopped over and scrambled its way up the boy's body, making itself comfortable in mess of dark hair.

"Ah! Flash! There you are!" she scooped the little guy off of his head with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. It was my fault, he ran off." She glared at her pokémon. "Listen, buddy, if you don't stop running off, I'm gonna have to keep you in your pokéball twenty-four - seven."

The pokémon - Flash, apparently - stuck its tongue out mischievously and hopped into the boy's lap.

The girl giggled. "Looks like he's taken a liking to you, huh?" The boy didn't respond, he simply stared at the little pokémon

Her expression suddenly became downcast with concern. "But really, how did this happen?" She gestured to "this" with a wild flopping of hands. "And won't it get infected? I can take you to the Pokémon Center south of here, I'm sure they'll have something…"

"…No. We're fine." He glanced at his Gloom, who smiled and nuzzled his hand. He allowed himself a small half-smile, though he made sure that it was small enough for the girl to miss it.

"What do you mean, you're _fine_?" Her brow was furrowed with concern. "You… you're missing an _eye!"_

He didn't know why this girl was so concerned for his well-being, but he didn't like it. Standing up abruptly, he said, "Yes, I am. Now goodbye." He returned Gloom to his pokéball, slung his bag over his shoulder, and began walking away.

"Wait!" He froze, slowly turning his head. The girl had grabbed the sleeve of his black hoodie. Her expression was so comically determined that it almost made him laugh. "Tell me your name, at least! I'll register you in my Pokénav!"

"I don't have a… whatever it was you said."

"Oh." She looked slightly crestfallen. "Well, tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine."

He turned away again. "I don't want to know your name."

"W-well, I still want to know yours!"

He paused. "I don't know."

"Wait, what?" The girl dropped his sleeve.

"I can't remember." He started to walk away again.

"Wait!"

With an aggravated sigh, he stopped. _Might as well humor her._ "What?"

"You're a trainer, right? Look at your Trainer Card! It'll have your name on it!" She smiled a bright, genuine smile.

He stared at her blankly. "My what?"

Her grin was replaced by a thoughtful frown. "Grey," she finally said, nodding.

"What?"

"I figured, well, I have to call you something, right? And your hair's sort of a dark gray color. So, I'll call you Grey!" She grinned again, revealing a full mouth of pearly whites. "Spelled with an "e" instead of an "a" because it looks cooler that way."

He stared at her in pure disbelief.

"Oh, and my name's Camila Fletcher. This little guy down here is my Litwick, Flash. I know you said you didn't want to know, but I figured you should if we would be traveling together." She held out a small hand. "Great to meet you."

He blinked, ignoring her outstretched hand. "_Wait,_ when did you decide that I would be traveling with you?"

"Just now, actually."

He turned away once more. "Well, thanks, but no thanks."

"Wait, don't just-" He ignored her this time.

He felt a small tug on his pant leg. Scowling, he looked down at that girl's strange little pokémon. Its face, usually smiling, was a picture of determined anger. It was pulling on his pant leg with its stubby arms, using every fiber of strength in its being to drag him back. He internally smiled, watching the little guy pull so hard.

Sighing, he picked Flash up and turned to face the girl. _Camila_. He stared at her, hoping he appeared as irritated and exasperated as he felt.

She, however, seemed unfazed by his stare and let out a loud whoop. Her eyes were shining like gemstones. "Okay, the closest city with a Pokémon Gym would be Petalburg City, and that's just west of here! I'm pretty sure we can make it there by nightfall if we hurry!" She ran off north into a thicket of trees.

He - no, he _refused_ to begin thinking of himself as Grey - watched doubtfully as she dashed away. "She does realize that she's going the wrong way, doesn't she?" Flash let out a soft cry that almost seemed like a sigh. He ground his teeth and slowly trudged after her.

**And that's a wrap. Hahaha, Camila is such a ditz, isn't she? Don't worry; you'll all come to love her for it eventually. **

** So, how'd you like it? Was anything confusing? There was a large amount of dialogue in there, so it might be hard to follow. Well, **_**I **_**followed it, because I wrote it, but that's not the issue. **

** To those of you who will raise your eyebrows about the whole Gloom thing, I already know what you're going to ask. Can Gloom really make antibacterial spores? Does the honey actually soothe wounds? My answer to these questions is a resounding **_**why not.**_** I mean, **_**okay,**_** it doesn't really say anywhere that this stuff is true, but nothing has proven that it isn't, right? It's totally possible that Gloom can release a variety of spores, and that, possibly, some of these spores will have a Penicillin-like quality. (Trivia Fact: That pink medicine was actually made from a bacteria-repelling mold.) **

** It fits with the plot, okay? It would be a lot less realistic if Gray somehow didn't get an infection in his gaping head wound and was totally okay the entire story. So if I want to make Gloom "drool" synonymous with Aloe Vera, well, you guys gotta deal with it.**

** Okay, you know what to do, review and return! Our friends will be waiting for you when they realize that Route 103 is pretty much dead-end at this point!**


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